MSI helps design kitchens

[Orange, Calif.] MS International (MSI), a leading importer of stone and porcelain products, has introduced a new online application that helps customers visualize MSI products in different kitchen settings.

“We created our kitchen visualizer to allow consumers a quick and easy way to visualize different color combinations between countertops, flooring and backsplashes with a click of a button,” said Rupesh Shah, co-president of MSI. “Without this visualizer, consumers really struggled in putting all the pieces together. While they may love a particular countertop or backsplash, they have trouble visualizing how they would work together from a design perspective.”

Customers first choose from three styles of kitchens to start with as a base layer and then select from eight cabinet colors.

There are approximately 90 colors of granite, marble and quartz for countertop options, 35 backsplash options and 15 flooring options. “If you do the simple math, there are theoretically 695,000 different color combinations across the cabinet, backsplash and countertop colors we have available,” Shah said.

Before developing the visualizer in-house, the MSI team studied many of the other design tools on the market. The common recurring themes they found among the online tools available were that they were not user friendly or intuitive for the average consumer, they were not mobile-device friendly, noted Shah.

“In developing our visualizer, we tried to balance simplicity and speed against functionality and picture resolution,” he said. “Customers can quickly and easily see literally hundreds of different color combinations with just a click of the button.”

MSI has begun to roll out the Kitchen Visualizer to design centers and showrooms across the country. Shah said that many managers are rolling out the technology using touch-screen LED televisions that make it easy to collaborate on projects with customers when they come to the store. It’s also convenient to use on tablets and other mobile devices.

The Kitchen Visualizer has email and download functionality to allow users to share their selections with others via email with a click of the button.

Because the tool is interactive with the MSI website, customers can click on a button if they want more specific information about any specific product.